Project description:Cyanobacteria, such as the toxin producer Microcystis aeruginosa, are predicted to be favored by global warming both directly, through elevated water temperatures, and indirectly, through factors such as prolonged stratification of waterbodies. M. aeruginosa is able to produce the hepatotoxin microcystin, which causes great concern in freshwater management worldwide. However, little is known about the expression of microcystin synthesis genes in response to climate change-related factors. In this study, a new RT-qPCR assay employing four reference genes (GAPDH, gltA, rpoC1, and rpoD) was developed to assess the expression of two target genes (the microcystin synthesis genes mcyB and mcyD). This assay was used to investigate changes in mcyB and mcyD expression in response to selected environmental factors associated with global warming. A 10°C rise in temperature significantly increased mcyB expression, but not mcyD expression. Neither mixing nor the addition of microcystin-LR (10 μg L-1 or 60 μg L-1 ) significantly altered mcyB and mcyD expression. The expression levels of mcyB and mcyD were correlated but not identical.
Project description:The ubiquitous freshwater cyanobacterium Microcystis is remarkably successful, showing a high tolerance against fluctuations in environmental conditions. It frequently forms dense blooms which can accumulate significant amounts of the hepatotoxin microcystin, which plays an extracellular role as an infochemical but also acts intracellularly by interacting with proteins of the carbon metabolism, notably with the CO2 fixing enzyme RubisCO. Here we demonstrate a direct link between external microcystin and its intracellular targets. Monitoring liquid cultures of Microcystis in a diel experiment revealed fluctuations in the extracellular microcystin content that correlate with an increase in the binding of microcystin to intracellular proteins. Concomitantly, reversible relocation of RubisCO from the cytoplasm to the cell's periphery was observed. These variations in RubisCO localization were especially pronounced with cultures grown at higher cell densities. We replicated these effects by adding microcystin externally to cultures grown under continuous light. Thus, we propose that microcystin may be part of a fast response to conditions of high light and low carbon that contribute to the metabolic flexibility and the success of Microcystis in the field.
Project description:Massive blooms of cyanobacteria frequently occur with microcystin (MC) production. Cyanobacteria are exposed to copper stresses such as copper algaecides which are often used to remove cyanobacterial blooms. However, copper increased the MC production of cyanobacteria, and the underlying mechanism remains unclear. The present study investigated the relationship between copper exposure (0.5 and 3 µM) and MC synthesis in Microcystis aeruginosa PCC 7806. The study concluded that the content of intracellular MCs increased by nearly two times both in 0.5 and 3 µM copper. High-throughput RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) provided evidence that copper mainly attacked Fe-S clusters, with evidence of changes in iron, sulfur, iron uptake regulators (fur), glutaredoxins and dehydratase genes. The transcription of numbers of genes implicated in iron uptake, MC synthesis and furA was also evaluated with quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). In these three Cu treatment groups, the amount of MCs increased as copper elevated. As the expression of mcyD gene was directly regulated by FurA and copper ions affected the expression of the FurA-related genes, we believed that MC synthesis genes were controlled by copper. This study has made a further understanding of the mechanism of the increase in MC synthesis of M. aeruginosa PCC 7806 treated with copper-based algaecides. We aimed to understand the mechanism of copper ion influencing the synthesis of MCs.
Project description:Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cHABs) dominated by Microcystis aeruginosa threaten the ecological integrity and beneficial uses of lakes globally. In addition to producing hepatotoxic microcystins (MC), M. aeruginosa exudates (MaE) contain various compounds with demonstrated toxicity to aquatic biota. Previously, we found that the ecotoxicity of MaE differed between MC-producing and MC-free strains at exponential (E-phase) and stationary (S-phase) growth phases. However, the components in these exudates and their specific harmful effects were unclear. In this study, we performed untargeted metabolomics based on liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry to reveal the constituents in MaE of a MC-producing and a MC-free strain at both E-phase and S-phase. A total of 409 metabolites were identified and quantified based on their relative abundance. These compounds included lipids, organoheterocyclic compounds, organic acid, benzenoids and organic oxygen compounds. Multivariate analysis revealed that strains and growth phases significantly influenced the metabolite profile. The MC-producing strain had greater total metabolites abundance than the MC-free strain at S-phase, whereas the MC-free strain released higher concentrations of benzenoids, lipids, organic oxygen, organic nitrogen and organoheterocyclic compounds than the MC-producing strain at E-phase. Total metabolites had higher abundance in S-phase than in E- phase in both strains. Analysis of differential metabolites (DMs) and pathways suggest that lipids metabolism and biosynthesis of secondary metabolites were more tightly coupled to growth phases than to strains. Abundance of some toxic lipids and benzenoids DMs were significantly higher in the MC-free strain than the MC-producing one. This study builds on the understanding of MaE chemicals and their biotoxicity, and adds to evidence that non-MC-producing strains of cyanobacteria may also pose a threat to ecosystem health.
Project description:Microcystis blooms are the most widely distributed and frequently occurring cyanobacterial blooms in freshwater. Reducing phosphorus is suggested to be effective in mitigating cyanobacterial blooms, while the underlying molecular mechanisms are yet to be elucidated. In the present study, isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ)-based quantitative proteomics was employed to study the effects of phosphorus depletion on Microcystis aeruginosa FACHB-905. The production of microcystins (MCs), a severe hazard of Microcystis blooms, was also analyzed. In total, 230 proteins were found to be differentially abundant, with 136 downregulated proteins. The results revealed that, upon phosphorus limitation stress, Microcystis aeruginosa FACHB-905 raised the availability of phosphorus primarily by upregulating the expression of orthophosphate transport system proteins, with no alkaline phosphatase producing ability. Phosphorus depletion remarkably inhibited cell growth and the primary metabolic processes of Microcystis, including transcription, translation and photosynthesis, with structures of photosystems remaining intact. Moreover, expression of nitrogen assimilation proteins was downregulated, while proteins involved in carbon catabolism were significantly upregulated, which was considered beneficial for the intracellular balance among carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus. The expression of MC synthetase was not significantly different upon phosphorus depletion, while MC content was significantly suppressed. It is assumed that phosphorus depletion indirectly regulates the production of MC by the inhibition of metabolic processes and energy production. These results contribute to further understanding of the influence mechanisms of phosphorus depletion on both biological processes and MC production in Microcystis cells.
Project description:Harmful cyanobacterial blooms (cyanoHABs) pose threats to human and animal health due to the production of harmful cyanotoxins. Microcystis aeruginosa is a common cyanobacterium associated with these blooms and is responsible for producing the potent cyclic hepatotoxin microcystin-LR (MC-LR). Concerns over the public health implications of these toxins in water supplies have increased due to rising occurrence of these blooms. High energy electron beam (eBeam) irradiation technology presents a promising strategy for the mitigation of both cyanobacterial cells and cyanotoxins within the water treatment process. However, it is imperative that both cellular and chemical responses to eBeam irradiation are understood to ensure efficient treatment. We sought to investigate the effect of eBeam irradiation on M. aeruginosa cells and MC-LR degradation. Results indicate that doses as low as 2 kGy are lethal to M. aeruginosa cells and induce cell lysis. Even lower doses are required for degradation of the parent MC-LR toxin. However, it was observed that there is a delay in cell lysis after irradiation where M. aeruginosa cells may still be metabolically active and able to synthesize microcystin. These results suggest that eBeam may be suitable for cyanoHAB mitigation in water treatment if employed following cell lysis.
Project description:The adverse effects of microcystin (MC) produced by cyanobacteria have drawn considerable attention from the public. Yet it remains unclear whether MC confers any benefits to the cyanobacteria themselves. One suggested function of MC is complexation, which may influence the bioaccumulation and toxicity of trace metals. To test this hypothesis, we examined Cd toxicity to wild-type Microcystis aeruginosa PCC 7806 (WT) and its MC-lacking mutant (MT) under nutrient-enriched (+NP), phosphorus-limited (-P), and nitrogen-limited (-N) conditions. The accumulation of Cd and the biochemical parameters associated with its detoxification [total phosphorus (TP), inorganic polyphosphate (Poly-P), and glutathione (GSH) in the cells as well as intra- and extra-cellular carbohydrates] were quantified. Although the -P cyanobacteria accumulated less Cd than their +NP and -N counterparts, the different nutrient-conditioned cyanobacteria were similarly inhibited by similar free ion concentration of Cd in the medium ([Cd2+]F). Such good toxicity predictability of [Cd2+]F was ascribed to the synchronous decrease in the intracellular concentrations of Cd and TP. Nevertheless, Cd toxicity was still determined by the intracellular Cd to phosphorus ratio (Cd/P), in accordance with what has been reported in the literature. On the other hand, the concentrations of TP, Poly-P, and carbohydrates went up, but GSH concentration dropped down with the enhancement of [Cd2+]F, indicating their association with Cd detoxification. Although the inactivation of MC peptide synthetase gene had some nutrient and Cd concentration dependent effects on the parameters above, both cyanobacterial strains showed the same Cd accumulation ability and displayed similar Cd sensitivity. These results suggest that MC cannot affect metal toxicity either by regulating metal accumulation or by altering the detoxification ability of the cyanobacteria. Other possible functions of MC need to be further investigated.
Project description:[D-Leu1]MC-LY (1) ([M + H]+m/z 1044.5673, Δ 2.0 ppm), a new microcystin, was isolated from Microcystis aeruginosa strain CPCC464. The compound was characterized by 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy, liquid chromatography-high resolution tandem mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS/MS) and UV spectroscopy. A calibration reference material was produced after quantitation by 1H NMR spectroscopy and LC with chemiluminescence nitrogen detection. The potency of 1 in a protein phosphatase 2A inhibition assay was essentially the same as for MCLR (2). Related microcystins, [D-Leu1]MC-LR (3) ([M + H]+m/z 1037.6041, Δ 1.0 ppm), [D-Leu1]MC-M(O)R (6) ([M + H]+m/z 1071.5565, Δ 2.0 ppm) and [D-Leu1]MC-MR (7) ([M + H]+m/z 1055.5617, Δ 2.2 ppm), were also identified in culture extracts, along with traces of [D-Leu1]MC-M(O2)R (8) ([M + H]+m/z 1087.5510, Δ 1.6 ppm), by a combination of chemical derivatization and LC-HRMS/MS experiments. The relative abundances of 1, 3, 6, 7 and 8 in a freshly extracted culture in the positive ionization mode LC-HRMS were ca. 84, 100, 3.0, 11 and 0.05, respectively. These and other results indicate that [D-Leu1]-containing MCs may be more common in cyanobacterial blooms than is generally appreciated but are easily overlooked with standard targeted LC-MS/MS screening methods.
Project description:This study investigated the in vivo effects of microcystins on gene expression of several phosphoprotein phosphatases (PPP) in the freshwater clam Corbicula fluminea with two different exposure scenarios. Clams were exposed for 96 h to 5 ?g L(-1) of dissolved microcystin-LR and the relative changes of gene expression of three different types of PPP (PPP1, 2 and 4) were analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR. The results showed a significant induction of PPP2 gene expression in the visceral mass. In contrast, the cyanotoxin did not cause any significant changes on PPP1 and PPP4 gene expression. Based on these results, we studied alterations in transcriptional patterns in parallel with enzymatic activity of C. fluminea for PPP2, induced by a Microcystis aeruginosa toxic strain (1 × 10(5) cells cm(-3)) during 96 h. The relative changes of gene expression and enzyme activity in visceral mass were analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR and colorimetric assays respectively. The clams exhibited a significant reduction of PPP2 activity with a concomitant enhancement of gene expression. Considering all the results we can conclude that the exposure to an ecologically relevant concentration of pure or intracellular microcystins (-LR) promoted an in vivo effect on PPP2 gene expression in C. fluminea.
Project description:Micocystin (MC) exists in Microcystis cells in two different forms, free and protein-bound. We examined the dynamic change in extracellular free MCs, intracellular free MCs and protein-bound MCs in both batch cultures and semi-continuous cultures, using high performance liquid chromatography and Western blot. The results showed that the free MC per cell remained constant, while the quantity of protein-bound MCs increased with the growth of Microcystis cells in both kinds of culture. Significant changes in the dominant MC-bound proteins occurred in the late exponential growth phase of batch cultures, while the dominant MC-bound proteins in semi-continuous cultures remained the same. In field samples collected at different months in Lake Taihu, the dominant MC-bound proteins were shown to be similar, but the amount of protein-bound MC varied and correlated with the intracellular MC content. We identified MC-bound proteins by two-dimensional electrophoresis immunoblots and mass spectrometry. The 60 kDa chaperonin GroEL was a prominent MC-bound protein. Three essential glycolytic enzymes and ATP synthase alpha subunit were also major targets of MC-binding, which might contribute to sustained growth in semi-continuous culture. Our results indicate that protein-bound MC may be important for sustaining growth and adaptation of Microcystis sp.